Famine in Yemen (2016–present)

{{Main|Yemeni civil war (2014–present)|War crimes in the Yemeni civil war (2014–present)}}

Since its unification in 1990, Yemen has been one of the poorer countries in the region. As the cost of local food production was high, it also became dependent on food imports.{{Cite web |last=GEOGLAM |date=November 9, 2011 |title=Yemen: Conflict and Food Insecurity |url=https://cropmonitor.org/documents/CONFLICT/reports/Conflict_Report_20211101_Yemen.pdf |website=Global Agricultural Monitoring |access-date=25 February 2024 |archive-date=25 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240225233404/https://cropmonitor.org/documents/CONFLICT/reports/Conflict_Report_20211101_Yemen.pdf |url-status=live }} As global food prices spiked in 2008, this led to food insecurity and food riots. Prior to the civil war, Yemen was already the most vulnerable country in the Middle East, ranking highly among the world's most malnourished, with 50 percent of its population living in impoverished conditions with limited access to safe water.

In 2014, a fight between government forces and Houthi-led insurgents led to a full-scale civil war. Iran's government offered military support to the Houthis, leading to the seizure of Yemen's capital Sana'a.{{Citation |title=War and Peace in Yemen |date=2022 |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-77954-2_300719 |encyclopedia=The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Peace and Conflict Studies |pages=1676 |place=Cham |publisher=Springer International Publishing |doi=10.1007/978-3-030-77954-2_300719 |isbn=978-3-030-77953-5 |access-date=2022-12-16 |archive-date=15 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230215142219/https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007/978-3-030-77954-2_300719 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription }} President Abd Rabbu Mansour was forced to resign together with his government officials. Towards the beginning of March of the same year, the United States and Saudi Arabia implemented a series of economic sanctions and a Saudi-led coalition began airstrikes against the Houthi rebels.{{Cite journal |last=Sugara |first=Robi |date=2018 |title=The Responses of Indonesian Muslims to Humanitarian Crisis in Syria, Yemen, and Myanmar |journal=Proceedings of the 1st International Conference on Recent Innovations |pages=1737–1744 |publisher=SCITEPRESS - Science and Technology Publications |doi=10.5220/0009934517371744 |isbn=978-989-758-458-9 |doi-access=free }} In the following years, the Houthis began attacking oil transports, imposing an effective embargo on oil exports.{{Cite web |title=The Houthis' embargo on Yemen's oil exports |url=https://www.mei.edu/publications/houthis-embargo-yemens-oil-exports |access-date=2024-02-25 |website=Middle East Institute |language=en |archive-date=25 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240225231730/https://www.mei.edu/publications/houthis-embargo-yemens-oil-exports |url-status=live }}

These sanctions and ongoing war greatly diminished the domestic economy and destroyed national infrastructure. The war also affected civilians severely, displacing over four million residents,{{Cite web |date=2023-10-05 |title=Yemen Fact Sheet, April - June 2023 - Yemen {{!}} ReliefWeb |url=https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-fact-sheet-april-june-2023 |access-date=2024-02-25 |website=reliefweb.int |language=en |archive-date=6 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231206044823/https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/yemen-fact-sheet-april-june-2023 |url-status=live }} and leaving over 68 percent of people in serious need of humanitarian assistance.{{Cite journal |last=Fink |first=Martin D. |date=July 2017 |title=Naval Blockade and the Humanitarian Crisis in Yemen |journal=Netherlands International Law Review |volume=64 |issue=2 |pages=291–307 |doi=10.1007/s40802-017-0092-3 |issn=0165-070X |doi-access=free |hdl=11245.1/bf2c3102-23de-4cbc-b4ff-9009276b5569 |hdl-access=free }}

The famine is the direct result of the Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen and blockade.{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/yemen-saudi-blockade/|title=Saudi de facto blockade starves Yemen of food and medicine|work=Reuters|access-date=21 November 2017|archive-date=11 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171011101505/http://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/yemen-saudi-blockade/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/rngs/YEMEN-SAUDI-BLOCKADE/0100515Q2KN/index.html|title=Yemen under de facto blockade|publisher=Reuters|access-date=21 November 2017|archive-date=22 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171022180631/http://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/rngs/YEMEN-SAUDI-BLOCKADE/0100515Q2KN/index.html|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/08/31/opinion/columnists/yemen-famine-cholera.html|title=The Photos the U.S. and Saudi Arabia Don't Want You to See|first=Nicholas|last=Kristof|date=31 August 2017|access-date=22 November 2017|work=The New York Times|archive-date=17 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190517015710/https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/08/31/opinion/columnists/yemen-famine-cholera.html|url-status=live}}{{cite news|last=McKernan|first=Bethan|date=7 November 2018|title=Battle rages in Yemen's vital port as showdown looms|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/nov/07/yemen-hodeidah-airstrikes-saudi-led-coalition-ceasefire-calls|work=The Guardian|access-date=7 November 2018|quote="The port has been blockaded by the Saudi-led coalition for the past three years, a decision aid organisations say has been the main contributing factor to the famine that threatens to engulf half of Yemen's 28 million population."|archive-date=7 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181107073244/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/nov/07/yemen-hodeidah-airstrikes-saudi-led-coalition-ceasefire-calls|url-status=live}} Yemen was already the most impoverished nation in the Arabian Peninsula and the Middle East, and Al Hudaydah one of the poorest cities of Yemen, but the war{{cite web|url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2015/12/bombing-of-schools-by-saudi-arabia-led-coalition-in-yemen/|title=Bombing of schools by Saudi Arabia-led coalition a flagrant attack on future of Yemen's children|date=11 December 2015|publisher=Amnesty International|access-date=1 May 2018|archive-date=15 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190515135109/https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2015/12/bombing-of-schools-by-saudi-arabia-led-coalition-in-yemen/|url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/country-region/yemen |title=Yemen |publisher=Doctors Without Borders - USA |access-date=1 May 2018 |archive-date=2 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180502210827/https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/country-region/yemen |url-status=live }} and the naval blockade{{cite news |title=Food Crisis in Conflict-Ridden Yemen Borders on Famine |date=6 February 2017 |author=Felipe Bueno |work=The Diplomatic Envoy |publisher=School of Diplomacy and International Relations at Seton Hall University |location=South Orange, New Jersey |url=http://thediplomaticenvoy.com/2017/02/06/yemeni-conflict-driven-food-crisis-borders-on-famine/ |access-date=16 March 2017 |archive-date=27 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180627115730/http://thediplomaticenvoy.com/2017/02/06/yemeni-conflict-driven-food-crisis-borders-on-famine/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |author=Julian Borger |title=Saudi-led naval blockade leaves 20m Yemenis facing humanitarian disaster |date=4 June 2016 |newspaper=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jun/05/saudi-led-naval-blockade-worsens-yemen-humanitarian-disaster |access-date=16 March 2017 |archive-date=16 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190516150910/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jun/05/saudi-led-naval-blockade-worsens-yemen-humanitarian-disaster |url-status=live }} by the Saudi-led coalition made the situation much worse. Fishing boats, the main livelihood of Al Hudaydah's residents, were destroyed by Saudi airstrikes, leaving them without any means to provide for their families.{{cite news |author=Saeed Kamali Dehghan |author2=Ahmad Algohbary |title=Yemen's food crisis: 'We die either from the bombing or the hunger' |date=8 February 2017 |newspaper=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2017/feb/08/yemen-food-crisis-we-are-broken-bombing-hunger |access-date=16 March 2017 |archive-date=14 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190414094441/https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2017/feb/08/yemen-food-crisis-we-are-broken-bombing-hunger |url-status=live }}{{cite news |date=16 September 2016 |author=Ahmed Al-Haj |agency=Associated Press |url=https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2016-09-16/ravaged-by-conflict-yemens-coast-faces-rising-malnutrition |title=Ravaged by conflict, Yemen's coast faces rising malnutrition |work=U.S. News & World Report |access-date=21 September 2016 |archive-date=17 September 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160917142926/http://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2016-09-16/ravaged-by-conflict-yemens-coast-faces-rising-malnutrition |url-status=live }} As a result, one child dies every ten minutes on average.{{cite news |title=UNICEF: One child dies every 10 minutes in Yemen |date=12 December 2016 |publisher=Al Jazeera |url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/12/unicef-child-dies-10-minutes-yemen-161212192354606.html |access-date=25 April 2017 |archive-date=2 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190502085207/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/12/unicef-child-dies-10-minutes-yemen-161212192354606.html |url-status=live }} A UN panel of experts found that Saudi Arabia is purposefully obstructing the delivery of humanitarian aid into Yemen.{{cite news|url=https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-yemen-security-saudi-un/saudi-led-coalition-threatens-yemen-by-blocking-aid-u-n-report-idUKKBN1DH2LE|title=Saudi-led coalition threatens Yemen by blocking aid -U.N. report|date=17 November 2017|work=Reuters|last1=Nichols|first1=Michelle|access-date=14 December 2017|archive-date=18 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171118125021/https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-yemen-security-saudi-un/saudi-led-coalition-threatens-yemen-by-blocking-aid-u-n-report-idUKKBN1DH2LE|url-status=dead}}

Saudi Arabia was reported to be deliberately targeting means of food production and distribution in Yemen{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/14/world/middleeast/yemen-saudi-bombing-houthis-hunger.html|title=U.S. Fingerprints on Attacks Obliterating Yemen's Economy|work=The New York Times|date=14 November 2016|access-date=8 July 2018|archive-date=7 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190507135550/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/14/world/middleeast/yemen-saudi-bombing-houthis-hunger.html|url-status=live}} by bombing farms,{{cite web|url=http://menafn.com/1096231032/Saudi-air-campaign-targets-Yemens-food-supplies|title=Saudi air campaign targets Yemen's food supplies|last=MENAFN|access-date=5 January 2018|archive-date=8 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180708074302/http://menafn.com/1096231032/Saudi-air-campaign-targets-Yemens-food-supplies|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/saudi-arabia-s-bombing-of-yemeni-farmland-is-a-disgraceful-breach-of-the-geneva-conventions-a7376576.html|title=Saudi Arabia 'deliberately targeting impoverished Yemen's farms and agricultural industry'|work=The Independent|access-date=2018-06-05|archive-date=12 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170312194049/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/saudi-arabia-s-bombing-of-yemeni-farmland-is-a-disgraceful-breach-of-the-geneva-conventions-a7376576.html|url-status=live}} fishing boats,{{Cite news|url=https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/over-100-civilians-killed-month-including-fishermen-refugees-yemen-conflict-reaches-two|title=Over 100 civilians killed in a month, including fishermen, refugees, as Yemen conflict reaches two-year mark|work=ReliefWeb|access-date=2018-06-05|archive-date=8 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180708044844/https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/over-100-civilians-killed-month-including-fishermen-refugees-yemen-conflict-reaches-two|url-status=live}} ports,{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security/saudi-led-strikes-on-yemen-port-fears-for-civilians-u-n-idUSKBN15P12V|title=Saudi-led coalition strikes Yemeni port, civilians at risk|date=10 February 2017|publisher=Reuters|access-date=19 December 2017|archive-date=8 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180708074157/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security/saudi-led-strikes-on-yemen-port-fears-for-civilians-u-n-idUSKBN15P12V|url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2021/03/22/middleeast/saudi-yemen-grains-port-intl/index.html |title=Yemen: Saudi-led coalition intensifies air strikes, hits grains port - CNN |access-date= |archive-date=24 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210324194937/https://edition.cnn.com/2021/03/22/middleeast/saudi-yemen-grains-port-intl/index.html |url-status=live }} food storages, food factories,{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-hodeidah/air-strikes-kill-at-least-10-civilians-in-yemens-hodeidah-medics-residents-idUSKCN1MY2HU |title=Air strikes kill at least 16 civilians in Yemen's Hodeidah: medics, residents |date=24 October 2018 |work=Reuters |access-date=24 October 2018 |archive-date=24 October 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181024225455/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-hodeidah/air-strikes-kill-at-least-10-civilians-in-yemens-hodeidah-medics-residents-idUSKCN1MY2HU |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2015/08/30/middleeast/yemen-bottle-factory/index.html |title=In Yemen, 34 killed in bottling factory bombing |work=CNN|access-date=25 October 2018 |archive-date=1 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150901062206/https://edition.cnn.com/2015/08/30/middleeast/yemen-bottle-factory/index.html |url-status=live }} and other businesses{{cite web|url=https://www.hrw.org/report/2016/07/11/bombing-businesses/saudi-coalition-airstrikes-yemens-civilian-economic-structures|title=Bombing Businesses - Saudi Coalition Airstrikes on Yemen's Civilian Economic Structures|date=11 July 2016|publisher=Human Rights Watch|journal=|access-date=17 December 2017|archive-date=15 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190515135121/https://www.hrw.org/report/2016/07/11/bombing-businesses/saudi-coalition-airstrikes-yemens-civilian-economic-structures|url-status=live}} in order to exacerbate famine. These actions led to the UN accusing the Saudi-led coalition of committing war crimes and having a "complete disregard for human life".{{Cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/yemen-civil-war-saudi-arabia-air-strikes-civilian-deaths-one-day-killed-un-united-nations-a8131841.html|title=Saudi-led air strikes in Yemen killed 68 civilians in one day, UN says|work=The Independent|access-date=2018-06-05|archive-date=1 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190401180649/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/yemen-civil-war-saudi-arabia-air-strikes-civilian-deaths-one-day-killed-un-united-nations-a8131841.html|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/un-saudi-arabia-yemen-air-strikes-violated-international-law-a7372936.html|title=The UN just accused Saudi Arabia led coalition of war crimes|work=The Independent|access-date=2018-06-05|archive-date=29 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181229034708/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/un-saudi-arabia-yemen-air-strikes-violated-international-law-a7372936.html|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/death-toll-from-saudi-airstrike-on-yemeni-wedding-rises-to-88-report/|title=Death toll from Saudi airstrike on Yemeni wedding rises to 88: report|date=2018-04-23|work=AMN - Al-Masdar News {{!}} المصدر نيوز|access-date=2018-06-05|archive-date=1 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190401182936/https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/death-toll-from-saudi-airstrike-on-yemeni-wedding-rises-to-88-report/|url-status=dead}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.adhrb.org/2018/01/yemen-devastated-by-saudi-influenced-famine/|title=Yemen Devastated by Saudi-Influenced Famine|date=2018-01-24|work=Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain|access-date=2018-06-05|archive-date=22 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180722014950/http://www.adhrb.org/2018/01/yemen-devastated-by-saudi-influenced-famine/|url-status=live}} 1,500 schools were damaged and destroyed during Yemeni Civil War.{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2018/sep/26/huge-spike-in-yemen-violence-as-civilian-deaths-rise-by-164-in-four-months-hodeidah |title=Huge spike in Yemen violence as civilian deaths rise by 164% in four months |work=The Guardian |date=26 September 2018 |access-date=28 September 2018 |archive-date=29 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180929004151/https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2018/sep/26/huge-spike-in-yemen-violence-as-civilian-deaths-rise-by-164-in-four-months-hodeidah |url-status=live }} After Saudi-backed Hadi's forces retook Mocha from Houthis they barred fishermen from working.{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/dec/12/bombed-into-famine-how-saudi-air-campaign-targets-yemens-food-supplies|title=Bombed into famine: how Saudi air campaign targets Yemen's food supplies|first=Iona|last=Craig|date=12 December 2017|work=The Guardian|access-date=17 December 2017|archive-date=19 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190519070444/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/dec/12/bombed-into-famine-how-saudi-air-campaign-targets-yemens-food-supplies|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/saudi-arabia-s-bombing-of-yemeni-farmland-is-a-disgraceful-breach-of-the-geneva-conventions-a7376576.html|title=Saudi Arabia 'deliberately targeting impoverished Yemen's farms and agricultural industry'|date=23 October 2016|work=The Independent|access-date=28 January 2018|archive-date=12 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170312194049/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/saudi-arabia-s-bombing-of-yemeni-farmland-is-a-disgraceful-breach-of-the-geneva-conventions-a7376576.html|url-status=live}} The Union of Yemeni fishermen accused the coalition of waging war against fishermen.{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/dec/12/bombed-into-famine-how-saudi-air-campaign-targets-yemens-food-supplies|title=Bombed into famine: how Saudi air campaign targets Yemen's food supplies|first=Iona|last=Craig|date=12 December 2017|access-date=5 January 2018|work=The Guardian|archive-date=19 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190519070444/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/dec/12/bombed-into-famine-how-saudi-air-campaign-targets-yemens-food-supplies|url-status=live}}

U.S. Senator Chris Murphy accused the United States of complicity in Yemen's humanitarian crisis, saying: "Thousands and thousands inside Yemen today are dying. ... This horror is caused in part by our decision to facilitate a bombing campaign that is murdering children and to endorse a Saudi strategy inside Yemen that is deliberately using disease and starvation and the withdrawal of humanitarian support as a tactic.""[https://theintercept.com/2017/11/14/congress-yemen-war-unauthorized/ Congress Votes to Say It Hasn't Authorized War in Yemen, Yet War in Yemen Goes On] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180107231800/https://theintercept.com/2017/11/14/congress-yemen-war-unauthorized/ |date=7 January 2018 }}". The Intercept. 14 November 2017.

The British researcher Alex de Waal has considered the famine in Yemen as

{{blockquote|The world's worst since North Korea in the 1990s and the one in which Western responsibility is clearest... Britain has sold at least £4.5 billion in arms to Saudi Arabia and £500 million to the UAE since the war began. The US role is even bigger: Trump authorized arms sales to the Saudis worth $110 billion last May. Yemen will be the defining famine crime of this generation, perhaps this century.{{cite journal|url=https://www.lrb.co.uk/v41/n05/alex-de-waal/monuments-to-famine|title=Monuments to Famine|date=7 March 2019|journal=London Review of Books|volume=41|issue=5|last1=Waal|first1=Alex de|access-date=1 March 2019|archive-date=2 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190302024611/https://www.lrb.co.uk/v41/n05/alex-de-waal/monuments-to-famine|url-status=live}}}}

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has been assisting victims of the famine and the cholera outbreak, as well as providing mental health assistance to those who have been affected by the war.{{Cite web|url=https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/what-we-do/countries/yemen?source=ADD180U0U00&gclid=Cj0KCQiAlIXfBRCpARIsAKvManxucb-Asz9KKt7SWw-9j4OX0exfct1OjXrN82yVoMFMicg9wnqZ6_EaAooPEALw_wcB|title=Yemen|publisher=Doctors Without Borders - USA|language=en|access-date=2018-11-06|archive-date=18 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181218010652/https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/what-we-do/countries/yemen?source=ADD180U0U00&gclid=Cj0KCQiAlIXfBRCpARIsAKvManxucb-Asz9KKt7SWw-9j4OX0exfct1OjXrN82yVoMFMicg9wnqZ6_EaAooPEALw_wcB|url-status=live}}

Houthi rebels have been accused of unlawfully confiscating food and medicine from civilians under their control by organizations including Human Rights Watch (HRW), MSF, and the World Food Programme (WFP), with a WFP survey finding that food aid was not reaching the majority of those eligible to receive it in Houthi–held Sanaʽa and Saada.{{cite web|url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/01/31/yemen-houthis-block-vital-goods-taizz|title=Yemen: Houthis Block Vital Goods into Taizz|work=Human Rights Watch|date=2016-01-31|access-date=2019-02-18|archive-date=2 February 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160202105555/https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/01/31/yemen-houthis-block-vital-goods-taizz|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/12/31/un-threatens-suspend-aid-yemen-amid-theft-houthi-rebels/|title=UN threatens to suspend aid to Yemen amid theft by Houthi rebels|work=The Daily Telegraph|date=2018-12-31|access-date=2019-02-18|archive-date=31 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181231194322/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/12/31/un-threatens-suspend-aid-yemen-amid-theft-houthi-rebels/|url-status=live}}

Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi's decision to relocate the Central Bank of Yemen to Aden in September 2016 was reported to have exacerbated the vulnerable living conditions of the population. The move "was aimed primarily at disabling the Houthi-Saleh administered bureaucracy based in Sana'a. Instead, it provoked a severe liquidity crisis that has fueled famine, as somewhere between 8.5 million and 10 million Yemenis rely on public sector salaries that have been unpaid for more than a year."MERIP. 30 January 2018. "Yemen Dispatch". [https://merip.org/2018/01/yemen-dispatch/ Middle East Research and Information Project website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220130020346/https://merip.org/2018/01/yemen-dispatch/ |date=30 January 2022 }}.

Sana'a Centre for Strategical Studies recorded that the banking crisis in fact began in early 2010 when American banks began closing the accounts of Yemeni banks, and with the start of the conflict in 2011, as Yemen came under UN Chapter 7 jurisdiction. "Large European and American banks ceased to interact with Yemeni banks completely. Yemeni banks became both unable to honor customer requests to withdraw cash – leading to further hoarding outside the banking system – and had no domestic currency to deposit at the Central Bank of Yemen. These multiple, interrelated and mutually reinforcing factors helped instigate a severe public sector cash liquidity crisis in mid-2016."Sana'a Centre. 4 June 2017. "Addressing Yemen's Most Critical Challenges: Practical Short-Term Recommendations". [http://sanaacenter.org/publications/main-publications/4438 Sana'a Centre for Strategical Studies website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190306044122/http://sanaacenter.org/publications/main-publications/4438 |date=6 March 2019 }}.

File:019 Rally (39025071401).jpg

More than 50,000 children in Yemen died from starvation during 2017.{{Dubious|date=May 2022|reason=Statement was partially sourced to an unreliable fringe source, can someone make sure that the other sources corroborate everything in this statement?}}

On 5 November 2017, the Saudi-led coalition began blocking all fuel shipments to Yemen, causing farmers to abandon modern equipment like tractors and forcing hospitals to function without generators.{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-blockade-exclusive/exclusive-saudi-led-blockade-cuts-fuel-lifeline-to-yemen-idUSKBN1E02FP|title=Exclusive: Saudi-led blockade cuts fuel lifeline to Yemen|date=6 December 2017|publisher=Reuters|access-date=7 December 2017|archive-date=7 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171207040054/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-blockade-exclusive/exclusive-saudi-led-blockade-cuts-fuel-lifeline-to-yemen-idUSKBN1E02FP|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://www.thejournal.ie/yemen-hospitals-and-water-pumps-3699406-Nov2017/|title=17 million in Yemen need food - now hospitals and water pumps will run out of fuel in three weeks|agency=AFP|access-date=17 December 2017|archive-date=19 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171219032827/http://www.thejournal.ie/yemen-hospitals-and-water-pumps-3699406-Nov2017/|url-status=live}}

On 11 December 2017, Jamie McGoldrick, the UN's humanitarian coordinator for Yemen, affirmed that 8 million in the country are in danger of famine unless access to immediate humanitarian aid is allowed.Al Jazeera News. (11 December 2017). "More than 8 million 'a step away' from famine in Yemen". [http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/12/8-million-step-famine-yemen-171211185321446.html Al Jazeera website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180927063106/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/12/8-million-step-famine-yemen-171211185321446.html |date=27 September 2018 }} Retrieved 11 December 2017.United Nations. (11 December 2017). "UN aid official in Yemen urges lifting of the blockade, says millions a 'step away from famine'". [http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=58268#.Wi8e6tWnG3A UN News Centre website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171214202525/http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=58268#.Wi8e6tWnG3A |date=14 December 2017 }} Retrieved 11 December 2017. On 13 December 2017, USAID administrator, Mark Andrew Green, stated that there are no signs that the blockade had been in any way eased and Yemeni ports are still fully blocked.{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-usa-aid/u-s-aid-chief-says-no-sign-yemen-port-blockade-easing-to-allow-aid-in-idUSKBN1E6327|title=U.S. aid chief says no sign Yemen port blockade easing to allow aid in|date=12 December 2017|publisher=Reuters|access-date=13 December 2017|archive-date=14 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190114133055/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-usa-aid/u-s-aid-chief-says-no-sign-yemen-port-blockade-easing-to-allow-aid-in-idUSKBN1E6327|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.worldnews.easybranches.com/regions/asia/us-aid-chief-says-no-sign-yemen-port-blockade-easing-to-allow-aid-in-524346|title=US aid chief says no sign Yemen port blockade easing to allow aid in|website=www.worldnews.easybranches.com|access-date=2018-06-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171213210637/http://www.worldnews.easybranches.com/regions/asia/us-aid-chief-says-no-sign-yemen-port-blockade-easing-to-allow-aid-in-524346|archive-date=13 December 2017|url-status=dead}}

According to The Economist, another major cause of the famine is the popularity of the cultivation and consumption of khat, which requires a significant amount of water to grow in addition to being the most popular drug in Yemen. Khat cultivation is monopolised by the Houthi rebels.

In July 2018, a 25% increase in severe hunger cases in Yemen compared to 2017 was reported.{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-hunger-famine/yemen-close-to-famine-after-port-offensive-aid-groups-warn-idUSKBN1KE04B|title=Yemen close to famine after port offensive, aid groups warn|first=Heba|last=Kanso|date=24 July 2018|work=Reuters|access-date=31 July 2018|archive-date=11 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190511192416/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-hunger-famine/yemen-close-to-famine-after-port-offensive-aid-groups-warn-idUSKBN1KE04B|url-status=live}}

In a September 2018 column in The New York Times, Nicholas Kristof stated that the United States is supporting crimes against humanity in Yemen, adding that: "America is helping to kill, maim and starve Yemeni children. At least eight million Yemenis are at risk of starvation from an approaching famine caused not by crop failures but by our actions and those of our allies. The United Nations has called it the world's worst humanitarian crisis, and we own it."{{cite news|last=Kristof|first=Nicholas|date=26 September 2018|title=Be Outraged by America's Role in Yemen's Misery|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/26/opinion/yemen-united-states-united-nations.html|work=The New York Times|access-date=24 October 2018|archive-date=28 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181028062629/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/26/opinion/yemen-united-states-united-nations.html|url-status=live}}

In October 2018, World Peace Foundation released a report documenting systematic targeting and destruction of food production and distribution infrastructure in Yemen by the Saudi-led coalition.{{cite web |url=https://sites.tufts.edu/wpf/strategies-of-the-coalition-in-the-yemen-war/ |title=A new report by Martha Mundy – World Peace Foundation |date=6 October 2018 |access-date=11 October 2018 |archive-date=5 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200705203503/https://sites.tufts.edu/wpf/strategies-of-the-coalition-in-the-yemen-war/ |url-status=live }}

On 31 October 2018, the United States and the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia's biggest arm suppliers, called for a ceasefire in the conflict in Yemen. A press release from the United States Secretary of State, Michael Pompeo, stated: "A cessation of hostilities and vigorous resumption of a political track will help ease the humanitarian crisis as well. It is time to end this conflict, replace conflict with compromise, and allow the Yemeni people to heal through peace and reconstruction."{{Cite news|url=https://www.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2018/10/287018.htm|title=Ending the Conflict in Yemen|publisher=U.S. Department of State|access-date=2018-11-06|language=en-US|archive-date=5 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181105121505/https://www.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2018/10/287018.htm|url-status=live}} On 10 November 2018, the U.S. announced it would no longer refuel coalition aircraft operating over Yemen.{{cite news |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2018/11/09/politics/us-yemen-houthis-missile/index.html |title=US to stop air refueling of Saudi-led coalition in Yemen |author=Ryan Browne, Barbara Starr |work=CNN|date=10 November 2018 |access-date=11 November 2018 |archive-date=11 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181111012149/https://edition.cnn.com/2018/11/09/politics/us-yemen-houthis-missile/index.html |url-status=live }} The U.S. continues its backing of the Saudi-led intervention with weapons sales and intelligence sharing.{{cite news|author=|date=5 November 2018|title=U.N.: A Yemeni Child Dies Every 10 Min. from War-Caused Disease, Hunger|url=https://www.democracynow.org/2018/11/5/headlines/un_a_yemeni_child_dies_every_10_min_from_war_caused_disease_hunger|work=DemocracyNow!|access-date=7 November 2018|archive-date=5 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181105191910/https://www.democracynow.org/2018/11/5/headlines/un_a_yemeni_child_dies_every_10_min_from_war_caused_disease_hunger|url-status=live}}

In November 2018, according to a report by The New York Times, 1.8 million children in Yemen are severely malnourished.{{cite news |title=Yemen Girl Who Turned World's Eyes to Famine Is Dead |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/01/world/middleeast/yemen-starvation-amal-hussain.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=November 2018 |access-date=1 November 2018 |last1=Walsh |first1=Declan |archive-date=2 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181102002121/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/01/world/middleeast/yemen-starvation-amal-hussain.html |url-status=live }}

On 3 August 2019, a United Nations report said the US, UK and France may be complicit in committing war crimes in Yemen by selling weapons and providing support to the Saudi-led coalition which is using the starvation of civilians as a tactic of warfare.{{cite web|url=https://www.democracynow.org/2019/9/3/headlines/un_says_western_countries_may_be_complicit_in_yemen_war_crimes_days_after_air_raid_kills_100_prisoners|title=U.N. Says Western Countries May Be Complicit in Yemen War Crimes Days After Air Raid Kills Titi 100 Prisoners|access-date=3 September 2019|website=Democracy Now|archive-date=10 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200510235636/https://www.democracynow.org/2019/9/3/headlines/un_says_western_countries_may_be_complicit_in_yemen_war_crimes_days_after_air_raid_kills_100_prisoners|url-status=live}}{{cite news|last=Wintour|first=Patrick|date=3 September 2019|title=UK, US and France may be complicit in Yemen war crimes – UN report|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/sep/03/uk-us-and-france-may-be-complicit-in-yemen-war-crimes-un-report|work=The Guardian|access-date=4 September 2019|archive-date=22 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191022141109/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/sep/03/uk-us-and-france-may-be-complicit-in-yemen-war-crimes-un-report|url-status=live}}

Famine was averted in 2019, as support from donor governments saw the World Food Programme scale up to support increasing needs, going from supporting around 1 million people in 2015 to nearly 13 million in 2019. It was one of the largest humanitarian scale-ups in recent history.{{Cite news|url=https://www.wfp.org/stories/what-is-famine|title='Famine alert: Hunger, malnutrition and how WFP is tackling this other deadly pandemic'|last=Hengel|first=Livia|date=29 March 2021|publisher=World Food Programme|access-date=28 April 2021|archive-date=30 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220130020348/https://www.wfp.org/stories/what-is-famine|url-status=live}}

As of March 2020, UNICEF estimates that 2 million children under the age of 5 suffer from acute malnutrition and require treatment.{{Cite web|title=Yemen crisis|url=https://www.unicef.org/emergencies/yemen-crisis|access-date=2020-06-05|website=www.unicef.org|language=en|archive-date=2 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190302173208/https://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/yemen_85651.html|url-status=live}}

According to a report by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), UNICEF, and the World Food Programme (WFP) and partners, 40% of Yemen's population was expected to suffer from acute food insecurity because of the war, flood, coronavirus, and locust swarms, by the end of 2020. Within 6 months "high levels of acute food insecurity" was estimated to increase from 2 million to 3.2 million, even if the food aid was maintained.{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/07/22/yemen-faces-perfect-storm-hunger-amid-coronavirus-outbreak-war/|title=Yemen faces 'perfect storm' of hunger amid the coronavirus outbreak and war, UN warns|date=22 July 2020|access-date=22 July 2020|work=The Daily Telegraph|first=Campbell|last=MacDiarmid|archive-date=12 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210112104332/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/07/22/yemen-faces-perfect-storm-hunger-amid-coronavirus-outbreak-war/|url-status=live}}

The World Food Programme (WFP) projected in March 2021 that if the Saudi-led blockade and war continues, more than 400,000 Yemeni children under 5 years old could die from acute malnutrition before the end of the year as the blockade devastates the nation.{{cite news |date=March 12, 2021 |title="Hell on Earth": Yemeni Children Starve to Death as U.S.-Backed Saudi Blockade Devastates Nation |url=https://www.democracynow.org/2021/3/12/yemen_famine_child_hunger_nima_elbagir |work=Democracy Now! |location= |access-date=March 16, 2021 |archive-date=17 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210817220828/https://www.democracynow.org/2021/3/12/yemen_famine_child_hunger_nima_elbagir |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/conflict-humanitarian-crisis-grows-yemen-speeding-towards-massive-famine-under |title=As Conflict, Humanitarian Crisis Grows, Yemen 'Speeding towards Massive Famine', Under-Secretary-General Warns, in Briefing to Security Council - Yemen | ReliefWeb |format= |access-date= |archive-date=22 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210322054837/https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/conflict-humanitarian-crisis-grows-yemen-speeding-towards-massive-famine-under |url-status=live }}{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/yemen-security-malnutrition-int-idUSKBN2AC18V |title=At least 400,000 Yemeni children under 5 could die of starvation this year - UN agencies |newspaper=Reuters |format= |work= |date=12 February 2021 |access-date= |archive-date=5 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211105021124/https://www.reuters.com/article/yemen-security-malnutrition-int-idUSKBN2AC18V |url-status=live }}

The UN estimated that by the end of 2021, the conflict in Yemen had claimed more than 377,000 lives, with 60% of them the result of hunger, disease and lack of healthcare facilities.{{cite news |title=Yemen war deaths will reach 377,000 by end of the year: UN |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/11/23/un-yemen-recovery-possible-in-one-generation-if-war-stops-now |work=Al Jazeera |date=23 November 2021 |access-date=31 May 2022 |archive-date=1 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220201125144/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/11/23/un-yemen-recovery-possible-in-one-generation-if-war-stops-now |url-status=live }}{{cite news |title=Yemen: Why is the war there getting more violent? |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-29319423 |work=BBC News |date=22 March 2022 |access-date=31 May 2022 |archive-date=28 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180728081557/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-29319423 |url-status=live }}

In March 2022, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator called for humanitarian assistance and protection of millions of people with essential services. At the June 2022 Yemen Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) meeting, stakeholders recognized the protection programming is only at 36.9 percent of the available 47.2 percent fund. In September 2022, the scale of food insecurity for 17.4 million Yemenis was communicated- predicting 19 million people to be at risk of famine by December 2022. This confirmed that the women and children Malnutrition rates in Yemen remain among the highest in the world, with 1.3 million pregnant or lactating women and with 2.2 million children under 5 years old requiring treatment for acute malnutrition.{{cite web |date=22 September 2022 |title=Joint statement on Yemen and the United Nations General Assembly 2022 |url=https://www.nrc.no/news/2022/october/joint-statement-by-30-non-governmental-organizations-operating-in-yemen-on-the-occasion-of-the-77th-united-nations-general-assembly---22-september-2022/#:~:text=The%20current%20level%20of%20hunger,19%20million%20by%20December%202022. |access-date=31 December 2022 |publisher=Norwegian Refugee Council |archive-date=31 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221231191736/https://www.nrc.no/news/2022/october/joint-statement-by-30-non-governmental-organizations-operating-in-yemen-on-the-occasion-of-the-77th-united-nations-general-assembly---22-september-2022/#:~:text=The%20current%20level%20of%20hunger,19%20million%20by%20December%202022. |url-status=live }} In December 2022, the World Food Program (WFP) published Yemenis Emergency needs with 23.5 million people lacking humanitarian assistance. WFP also reported that 17 million people are food insecure, and 3.5 million pregnant or breastfeeding women and children under 5 are exposed to acute malnutrition, which is much higher than the September 2022 predicted needs.{{cite web |title=Yemen emergency |url=https://www.wfp.org/emergencies/yemen-emergency |access-date=31 December 2022 |publisher=World Food Program |archive-date=31 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221231192201/https://www.wfp.org/emergencies/yemen-emergency |url-status=live }}

In 2023, Yemen continued to face a humanitarian crisis, with two-thirds of its population, approximately 21.6 million people, requiring humanitarian assistance and protection services. This ongoing need stemmed from protracted war, economic collapse, displacement, and recurrent natural disasters. Despite a slight decrease from 23.4 million people in need in 2022 to 21.6 million in 2023, the situation remained critically severe. The UN's humanitarian affairs office, OCHA, sought $4.3 billion to support the 17.3 million most vulnerable individuals. Key strategic objectives for the year included promoting life-saving activities, enhancing resilience, and ensuring protection for the affected populations.{{Cite web |date=2023-01-25 |title=Two-thirds of Yemenis need humanitarian support and protection {{!}} UN News |url=https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/01/1132842 |access-date=2024-03-21 |website=news.un.org |language=en |archive-date=21 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240321135609/https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/01/1132842 |url-status=live }}

Yemen's humanitarian and development agencies focused on incorporating climate resilience into their interventions, recognizing the growing impact of climate change on the already vulnerable country. The Food Security and Agriculture Cluster aimed to secure and improve food access for vulnerable households through a $1.36 billion plan, reaching 12.8 million people. The health sector faced a significant funding shortfall, exacerbating challenges such as cholera outbreaks and malnutrition's medical side effects. Efforts to improve access to clean water, sanitation, health services, and renewable energy sources in health facilities were critical priorities. In addition, support for livelihood development and cash-based interventions continued to be vital for fostering economic stability and self-sufficiency among Yemenis.{{Cite web |date=2024-03-07 |title=Yemen Humanitarian Crisis |url=https://disasterphilanthropy.org/disasters/yemen-humanitarian-crisis/ |access-date=2024-03-21 |website=Center for Disaster Philanthropy |language=en-US |archive-date=21 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240321135609/https://disasterphilanthropy.org/disasters/yemen-humanitarian-crisis/ |url-status=live }}

• Outline of the Yemeni crisis, revolution, and civil war (2011–present)
• Timeline of the Yemeni crisis (2011–present)
• Airstrikes on Yemen
• Destruction of Yemeni cultural heritage by Saudi-led coalition
• Famine in northern Ethiopia (2020–present)
• Water supply and sanitation in Yemen
• Gaza Strip famine

{{Reflist}}

• [https://www.cnn.com/videos/world/2021/03/10/yemen-starving-children-elbagir-pkg-lead-vpx.cnn US-backed Saudi blockade causing deadly shortages in Yemen]. CNN. March 10, 2021.

{{Yemeni Civil War (2015)}}

{{Yemen topics}}

{{Asia in topic|Famine in |RU=Russian famine (disambiguation)}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Famine in Yemen (2016-present)}}

Category:2010s in Yemen

Category:2020s in Yemen

Category:2010s disasters in Asia

Category:2020s disasters in Asia

Yemen 2016

Yemen 2016

Yemen 2016

Category:Man-made disasters in Yemen

Category:Yemeni civil war (2014–present)

Category:Yemeni humanitarian crisis